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Monday, March 5, 2012

Volume 32, Issue 3
2700 NW Glencoe Rd Hillsboro, Oregon

Issuu.com/GlencoeCrimsonTimes

Struggling

alone

Teenagers who suffer from mental
illnesses often do not feel comfortable seeking treatment because of the
stigma attached to their condition
by SAMANTHA MATSUMOTO
*Editor’s Note: The names of students have been
changed to protect their privacy.

S

he could not breathe. She felt as though
she were drowning. Moments before, her
teacher had announced presentations for
an assignment she had not completed.
Now, as she awaited her turn to speak, she
felt as though the world were closing in on her. Terrified,
she left the classroom, uncertain of what was happening
to her.
Laura Miller* was having a panic attack. That was
one year ago. Looking at Miller now, one would not
guess she has struggled with anxiety her entire life. The
senior is energetic and makes use of her sharp humor and
wide smile often. But her voice shakes as she speaks of
her diagnosis with anxiety, depression and paranoia her
junior year.
“I was having panic attack after panic attack, and I
couldn’t stop myself,” she said. “I was really terrified.”

INCREASING STRUGGLE

photo illustration by HALEY FORTIER

Miller has struggled with irrational fears since childhood. She learned to cope by forming rituals, such as
singing in the shower to ease her fear of snakes attacking
her. However, during her junior year, her stress increased
and her phobias intensified. She began to struggle with
everyday tasks such as walking down hallways at school,
paranoid someone would kill her.

As her anxiety increased, Miller felt she was losing
control. Unable to control her emotions, she turned to
self harm.
“I couldn’t control my life anymore, and I had to find
something to control. So I controlled my pain levels,”
she said.
Knowing she needed help, Miller asked her doctor
about her anxiety. She was told her panic attacks were the
result of her asthma, which was limiting oxygen to her
brain. This explanation left an already confused Miller
filled with self doubt.
“[It made me feel] like I was making everything up,”
she said.

“

There’s a stigma attached to having a mental illness. People tend to look
at them as broken.

HER EXPERIENCE IS NOT ISOLATED
According to the website About Teen Depression, one
in 10 teens may have a serious emotional disorder such
as depression or anxiety. In spite of the prevalence of
emotional disorders, it is estimated only 30% receive any
sort of intervention or treatment, while the rest struggle
alone.
Glencoe youth therapist Julie Keanaaina said part of
the reason teens do not seek help is because there is a
lack of understanding about mental disorders.
“There’s a stigma attached to having a mental illness.
People tend to look at them as broken,” Keanaaina said.
“People assume ‘I have a mental illness, so I must be a
bad person.’”

Staff organizes to promote equity

A teacher-led group formed
this year to examine the
achievement gap between
white students and minorites
by ANDREW ROGERS

Race has defined American culture
throughout history. Though some people
may consider the plight of equal rights to
be nearly over, the color of one’s skin can
still greatly influence one’s opportunities
and ability to succeed.
A group of staff members are committed to changing this imbalance.
The newly formed Equity Team is
looking to make Glencoe more “equitable,” or more open and equal for students
of all ethnic backgrounds. More specifically, the group is looking to close the
achievement gap, which is the difference
in test scores between white students and
students of color. According to Superin-

tendent Mike Scott, minority students in
the English Language Learner program
(ELL) score on average 60 points lower
than white students on the OAKS reading
test, as well as on other state assessments.
“[Currently, race and] income has a lot
to do with a student’s success,” Scott said.
“[But] that shouldn’t predetermine [it].”
Art teacher Ezra Ereckson started
Glencoe’s Equity Team after seeing the
successes of the Equity Team at Hillsboro
High School. According to Ereckson, the
work of Hilhi’s Equity Team, along with
a school-wide focus on equity, helped to
significantly improve minority students’
test scores in all subject areas, and also
reduced the participation gap in just a few
years.
Ereckson agrees the biggest achievement gap in the Hillsboro School District
and around the country is between white
students and students of racial minorities.
“[It is] a sad and unacceptable truth
of our district and most other districts,”

”

Miller received no treatment for her panic attacks,
aside from her inhalers.Her anxiety continued to intensify, and she stopped eating and sleeping. She realized she
had hit rock bottom when a friend confronted her about
her self harm.
“[My friend] looked at me and said, ‘I can’t help you
anymore. If you keep doing this, I’ll have to turn you in.’
It makes you realize you have to get help when your best
friend can’t help you anymore,” Miller said.
Miller sought out help from a counselor, and was diagnosed with depression, anxiety disorder and paranoia.

Ereckson said. “[To combat this problem,
we ask ourselves] how to engage more
kids in a deeper way, and we try to educate
ourselves about the barriers students and
families of color face,” Ereckson said.
But before the team can find solutions
to the issue of the achievement gap, Ereckson said, the members must first learn
how to discuss race in honest and personal
ways. Race is oftentimes the most difficult topic to discuss in schools because
of the way it has affected both America’s
past and present culture; it is far easier to
ignore the issue of race, rather than attack
it head on.
“Race…affects everything that we
do, and it’s largely ignored [in schools],”
English teacher and Equity Team member
Bill Huntzinger said. Huntzinger said he
believes topics such as poverty, gender,
and class often replace talking about race,
despite the fact that race strongly influences those factors.
See EQUITY, page 2

See MENTAL HEALTH, page 5

Teen Party Culture:
See more on pg. 6

photo illustration** by
VALENTINA CHAU and HALEY FORTIER

**Editor’s Note: All photo illustrations
have been staged and do not represent
the activities of the newspaper staff.

Page

2

News

Monday, March 5, 2012

CrimsonTimes

There and back again: a teacher’s travels
After spending two years teaching in
South Korea, Social Studies teacher
Sami Hayden returned to her old Glencoe teaching post
by LORI HURSH
Without speaking a word of Korean or ever having
left North America, social studies teacher Sami Hayden
packed her bags to go teach in South Korea in the summer
of 2009. She returned after two years from Seoul, South
Korea to continue teaching at Glencoe.
Hayden said she feels being outside of the country has
changed the way she looks at her life in the United States.
In South Korea, most people are of the same race and culture.Sometimes she would go a week or more without seeing another foreigner.
“It really made me appreciate things about the United
States, just the fact that we are so diverse,” Hayden said.
“When you’re stared at constantly it’s nice to come back
and blend in. The first few weeks [I taught] I was like a
freak show for them because I was a foreigner and some
of them had never seen one.”
Once Hayden’s five-month-old daughter Charlotte was
born, people were constantly crowding around and even
taking pictures because seeing a Caucasian baby was so
uncommon.
Standing out, however, was not the only challenge of
living in South Korea.
“The hardest thing was the language barrier. It gave
me a new appreciation for immigrants in our country,” she

EQUITY TEAM:
The district plans to significantly
improve racial equity by 2016
Continued from page 1

photo submitted by SAMI HAYDEN
While teaching in South Korea, Hayden visited many
South korean cultural sites, including Gyeongbokgung Palace (above). Hayden is pictured with her
husband, Joe, and her daughter, Charlotte.
said. “[Since] I experienced not knowing the
language, [being an immigrant] means something different to me.”
Because there are so few foreigners in the

is to make schools open and inclusive to cultural
backgrounds other than the white norm.
“[We ask ourselves]: do we reflect other cultures
[in our schools]?” Haghigi said.
According to Scott, most schools in the district
currently have active Equity Teams, and the goal is
to have an Equity Team in every school. Though
the achievement gap is “very real” in the district,
two schools in particular are bucking the trend: WL
Henry Elementary and Minter Bridge Elementary.
District officials are looking closer at these schools
to find out what they are doing to close the racial
achievement gap.
Along with promoting equity in schools, the district is also looking to improve equity within the administration and the district offices.
“[The district] works on cultural competence,”
Scott said. Scott further explained that the goal of
“cultural competency” is to have all administrative
employees understand the importance of equity in
schools and the difficulties minorities face. He added that the district is more likely to hire an employee
with training or experience in cultural competence.
Along with in-office meetings, equity teams around
the district attend various seminars and workshops
dealing with equity to gain more experience in issues of race and class.
Scott said that the only incentive for establishing
Equity Teams and improving test scores is to improve the posterity of the school district.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Scott said.

He added that he has noticed that, when attempting to diversify his literary curriculum with stories
about and by people of color, students react in a
positive manner.
“When I pull out a piece of literature in class that
identifies with marginalized groups, students respond [positively],” Huntzinger said.
Students can feel more comfortable and included
if discussion of race becomes a part of mainstream
school culture, he said.
The Equity Team at Glencoe was formed as a part
of a wider initiative to improve equity in the Hillsboro School District as a part of the district’s 5-year
plan. Though the Glencoe team is very new, Office
of Equity Director Saideh Haghigi said that she is
impressed by the groundwork the Glencoe equity
team has set up in a short time.
“I haven’t seen the…sense of urgency [like this
before],” Haghigi said. “I’m very excited about
Glencoe’s equity team.”
Like Glencoe, many teams around the district are
still working on the discussion portion of their efforts, and are not ready to implement the policies
that they wish to in the future.
However, by 2016, the district
hopes to significantly improve
equity within the schools through
the actions of the groups.
In addition to improving test
scores, the district is also looking at honors class enrollment,
discipline data, grades, parental
participation, and extracurricular participation to find the gaps
between white students and students of color.
Haghigi said that another
important component of estabOn your next drop-off
lishing equity is to engage parents and community members
on any service except for rugs,
in the Hillsboro School District.
wedding dresses, leather, and alterations
Though English is the primary
language spoken by students
enrolled in the district, Spanish,
Must present coupon at the time of drop-off
Vietnamese, and Somali are the
next most common languages.
One coupon per visit per customer
Coupon expires: 6/5/2012
Haghigi said the best way to engage students and their families

country, native Koreans are less willing to speak in different languages or tolerate broken Korean.
“People could understand [English], but didn’t want to
speak it.” Eventually, though, she picked up the language
through classes and cultural immersion.
Hayden chose to teach English at the elementary school
level because of the many positions available.
“It was just tricky for us because my husband is not a
teacher, and we needed to go somewhere where we could
both teach English,” Hayden said.
The threat of attack by North Korea was a new experience for Hayden. While she was abroad, the North sank
a South Korean naval ship, the ROKS Cheonan, with a
torpedo on March 6, 2010. Later in the year, on Nov. 23,
the North shelled an island near the border.
“Koreans are so used to it that they don’t even make a
big deal out of it. My family was worried because of the
way the West portrayed it,” Hayden said. “I was worried if
the South Koreans were worried. [So] I wasn’t worried.”
She said that when she would show her Korean friends the
Western news reports after an attack, they would laugh at
the exaggerations.
Hayden said she enjoyed her time in South Korea.
“My experience over there taught me how important it
is to enjoy things in life,” Hayden said. She still stays in
contact with the friends she made in Korea, but said she
is happy to be back and enjoys seeing her past freshmen
students as seniors.

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CrimsonTimes

Feature

Monday, March 5, 2012

Page

3

A break in routine: Students take gap year
by ANISHA DATTA
The idea to take a year off
came to seniors Sabrina Mendiola
and Evelyn Madison during their
junior year.
“I was really stressed out.”
Mendiola said. “There was a lot
of pressure from school. And all
I could think was, ‘after this, I’m
going straight to college. I’m not
going to get a break.’”
“It’s a scary thought.” Madison chimes in. “Terrifying.”
Mendiola and Madison have
chosen to take a year off between
high school and college, during
which they plan to go on a crosscountry road trip and save money
for college. Mendiola said that
they decided to give themselves a
break before commencing stressful college life.
“[I wanted to] do the things
that I didn’t get to in high school,”
Mendiola said.
Gap years, the term used for
the time out of school between
high school and college, are taken
for a variety of reasons. Students
use the time off to travel, explore
future career options, attend college classes, or take a job to save
up some money.

“I planned [to take a gap year]
at the end of my senior year,”
Glencoe ‘11 alum Alex Ogle
said. Ogle spent the last six
months taking German classes
at Portland Community College
and working at P.F. Changs. He
is now spending a few months in
Ghana, where he will be teaching
English to schoolchildren.

“

In college, you get
stuck in a pattern of
going to school and
then working.

”

Another Glencoe ’11 alum,
Bethany Pavlik, is spending her
gap year teaching at Bible schools
in Germany and Austria.
“I wanted to travel now, when
I have so little to tie me down,”
Pavlik said. “I have no job, no
family to take care of. I’m at the
most independent time in my
life.”
Though the idea of taking
a gap year is usually met with
some initial hesitation by both
students and parents, more and

more seniors are facing a lot of
encouragement from counselors
and colleges to take the year off,
according to MSNBC.
Some colleges are advocating
the gap year.Princeton University offers “The Bridge Year Program,” which allows students a
year of community service before
going to college. Gap Year fairs
are held in major cities, including Portland, which showcase
a multitude of program choices
available to students during their
year off.
“When first presented with a
gap year, I was really skeptical.
I didn’t know many people who
had done one. [But] the opportunity was placed in front of me,
and as time went on it seemed
to be a better and better choice,”
Pavlik said.
Many parents and counselors
worry that students will not go
back to college after a gap year.
“My parents felt that once I
got out of the world of academia,
I wouldn’t want to pursue a higher education,” Pavlik said.
According to counselor Brooke
Nova, the key ingredient to a successful gap year is planning.

Tori
Ava

P H O T O G R A P H Y
503.858.2350

photo submitted by ALEX OGLE
Alex Ogle, ‘11 alum, rode on a camel during his time in Ghana
where he taught English to schoolchildren for three months.
“If you don’t have a plan,
getting back into the routine of
school is hard,” Nova said. “Going back to college after a gap
year is easier said than done. Actions speak louder than words.
Parents and other adults usually
want to see a clear, thought out
plan for what you’re going to do
with your year.”
According to Nova a student’s
gap year experience should complement a student’s career path,
while making sure the student
does not regress academically.
A good way to do this, she said,
would be to take college classes
at a community college if planned
gap year activities do not exercise
the same academic rigor as college would.
“[A gap year should be] an
educational time in [a student’s]
life,” Nova said.
Gap years are a more established tradition in other countries,
especially in Australia and England. USA Today states that 11%
of English college bound seniors
take gap years.

According to Pavlik, her year
off enabled her travel and fully
commit herself to a career path.
“In college, you get stuck in
a pattern of going to school and
then working,” she said. “[Now,]
I feel independent from expectations and influences. I can decide
[what I want to do as a career] on
my own.”
Pavlik also said that her time
away from home has allowed her
to become more independent,
which she feels will help her in
college.
“If you learn to be independent before college, it won’t impair your academic success,” she
said.
Pros and cons considered,
Pavlik maintains that a gap year
experience depends on the student and on the amount of planning carried out; these factors can
make or break a gap year.
“Each gap year experience is
different,” Pavlik said. “It’s like
a smoothie; the end result fully
depends on the individual ingredients, and each one is unique.”

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Page

4

Feature

Monday, March 5, 2012

CrimsonTimes

B-boys dance
their way
to strong
friendships

The break-dancing crew has been dancing
together since eighth grade. They practice
during most lunches and after school
story by KATHLEEN CONNELLY
photos by VALENTINA CHAU

Although each member of
Disagreements often arise withGlencoe’s break dancing crew has in the group over personal issues
his own personal dance character- as well as dance technique. The
istics and personality, breakcrew has a firm belief in talking
dancing has strengthened
out the problem between
their friendship as well
themselves, but when
as their skills.
that does not work,
In 2010, the crew
their Plan B is to
won third place at a
freestyle as a
local dance comform of conflict
petition, Break
resolution. When
the Tension 2.
the crew members
Their trophy
are not competing
is now disor dancing, they spend
played in
their weekends at one
the commons
another’s houses or getarea where stuting sushi, which has bedents previously
come a habit. These adventhrew food and
tures have helped mold their
paper at the crew,
friendships.
according to senior
Alex Vorachith. Three
years later, the crew
has made a name for
themselves at GlenChris Shockley
coe.

Bellydancing leads to success
by KELSEY VANDYKE
For junior Emily Bassett,
belly dancing has become more
than just a pastime. It is an important part of her life. Each time
she talks about belly dance her
eyes light up and she becomes
excited. It has changed her and
has also given her the rare opportunity of having a job as a belly
dancer.
Bassett began belly dancing
after seeing family friend Robin
Smith, now her instructor, dancing with her daughter Rachel at
a wedding.
“When I saw Rachel dance
I had an ‘Aha’ moment. I said,
‘This is the most beautiful thing
I have ever seen. I have to do
that,’” Bassett said.
Bassett signed up for dancing
classes at Smiths’ Studio, Creative Enterprises. She has been
dancing there for three years.
“Belly dancing was the first
dance I truly experienced,” she
said. In previous years Bassetts
mother, Shawn Parris, had encouraged her to try different activities.

“I took her to gymnastics and muscles. And muscles you didn’t
Irish dance in which she did very even know you had,” Bassett
well. However, she was never said.
fully interested in them. When
“She has improved 100 %
she discovered this dance I was since her beginning belly dance,
delighted to see her put her heart due to her own dediinto something so beautiful,” cation and love
Parris said.
for the art,”
Bassett is devoted to learning
belly dance and has made a lot of
progress. In September of 2011
she got a job at Izgara, a Middle
Eastern grill in Forest Grove.
“It was all thanks to Robin,”
Bassett said, “I was dancing at
the Forest Grove market to get
business for Robins’ new studio
[and] the owner [of Izgara] said,
‘Oh, I want her to dance in my
restaurant.’”
Bassett has now been working at Izgara for five months.
“At first I was nervous to
dance [at the restaurant]. Now I
just dance,” Bassett said.
One thing that is not expected
from belly dancing, Bassett said,
is how physically demanding it
is.
“In belly dancing we are using our hips, chest, arms, and obviously stomach and abdominal Submitted by MIKAELA VANDYKE

Shawn Parris said. “[I feel]
proud. She has dedicated herself
to the dance… It has improved
her sense of purpose and joy,”
Parris said.
Dancing has made Bassett enjoy life even more, and she does

not plan to stop now. She hopes
to continue learning to dance
while being a photographer in
future years. Even if belly dance
is not her main focus, it has affected her life for the better.

CrimsonTimes

Feature

Monday, March 5, 2012

MENTAL ILLNESS:
Students with mental illness
often do not seek help
Continued from page 1
Senior Karen Baker* began to experience symptoms of depression her
junior year. She had cut her hands
with safety pins and planned her suicide. But despite the severity of her
depression, she did not seek out help
for months, fearing she would appear
weak.
“I always had this feeling that
people expected me to be strong,”
Baker said. “I was trying to fight it
myself and be independent. I realized
it wasn’t working.”
Although Baker knew she needed
help, her depression made it difficult
to reach out to her friends and family.
“I became distant with a lot of people I knew,” she said. “Throughout
this entire time, I wanted to be close to
someone, but I didn’t want to let them
in. I couldn’t trust anyone.”

SUPPORTING FRIENDS
Glencoe School Psychologist Vicki
Szukalla noted that because withdrawing from others is a symptom of depression, it is important for teens to be
conscious of their friends behavior.
“Teens need to notice [their peers]
struggling and reach out [to them],”
Szukalla said. “We need to help each
other through this.” Sometimes that
means encouraging a friend to seek
help from a trusted adult, and if the
first can not help, seek out another.

Szukalla emphasizes that mental
health disorders are often not very different from the emotional problems
everyone faces.
“Many of us suffer from some type
of mental health challenge that we
must learn to cope with and manage,”
she said. “[The goal of treatment is]
teaching students to manage their behaviors. They can learn these skills;
they just need to be taught.”
Szukalla said that understanding this can help diminish the stigma
against mental health disorders.
“The more we talk about it and
normalize it, and say we all have areas
in mental health we can work on, the
more the stigma will lessen,” she said.
“We still have a ways to go.”

HOPE
For Miller and Baker, the understanding of their friends has made a
large difference. Both sought help at
the urging of friends, and Baker said
the support of her friends is what
saved her life.
“The only reason I didn’t commit
suicide was because I knew people
would be disappointed in me. I knew
... that people really cared about me,”
she said.
With counseling and anti-depressants, Baker has come a long way
since her junior year. Although she
continues to struggle with her depression, the difference now is that she realizes there is hope for her future.
“[If I could speak to myself a year
ago], I would tell her, even if things
seem bad now, there is a brighter future ahead,” she said.

Miller’s symptoms have also improved, though she too continues to
struggle with her disorders.
“I feel broken,” she said. “I’m always looking for the one thing that
will fix me.”

“

The only reason I
didn’t commit suicide
was because I knew people would be disappointed in me.

”

But living with her disorders for
her entire life has taught her to accept
them.
“I can change how I act, and what
I look like. I can change to fit in. But
I can’t change my mental illness,” she
said. “I can’t just say, ‘I’m not going
to be afraid of water today.’ But I can
change how I view it, and how I view
the world.”
She has found the most powerful
way to help herself is to speak out and
help others.
“I’m open about it because there are
more people out there that go through
what I went through,” she said, in a
voice steely with determination.
“I went through hell, and I made it
through. If I can just get the word out
to a few people, it would be worth it.
If someone else hears that I’ve gone
through the same thing, they’ll be
more likely to get help.”
Her expression lightened, and she
spoke with simplicity.
“I’m tired of people being afraid,”
she said.

If you are in need of help:
•Set up an appointment in the counseling
center with Youth Contact counselors Julie
Keanaaina or Patti Seitz. You can write a note
explaining your situation, and an appointment
can be set up.
•Staff care coordinator Andrew Chipps can
put students and/or their families in contact
with mental health service employees in the
community.
•School guidance counselors can help students
contact other mental health services as well.
•Call the Washington County Crisis Line
(503 291 9111). Service is provided 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week. Crisis line workers are
trained to provide telephone crisis counseling,
and can also provide referrals for follow-up
routine treatment for ongoing support and
services in the community.

You can help friends by being
aware of common symptoms:
• changes in mood,
• unusual displays of sadness, anger, or fear,
• unexplained changes in eating or sleeping
patterns,
• lack of motivation and interest
• avoidance of friends or family and wanting
to be alone all of the time;
• worrying about being harmed, hurting
others, or about doing something “bad”
• doing things that can be life threatening
• talking about suicide or self harm

If you believe a friend is in need of help,
accompany them to a counselor or parent; or tell someone they trust that they
are in need of help.

Gatherings escalate from chips and soda to drug-induced raves
*Editors Note:The names of students have been change to protect their privacy.
by STEPHANY CHUM

P

arties are a common
occurrence during the
course of a teenager’s
life, but in this day and
age, the term “partying” has
grown from having a few friends
in your basement to a random
house full of strangers drinking
together.
Drinking is one of the most
popular party activities, and unfortunately, according to a survey
done by the American Medical
Association, there are a growing
number of parents who actually
provide the liquor and party site
for teenagers.
Senior Rachel Samson* says
her parent’s choose to provide the
liquor and site for her to party at.
“It’s not like [my parents] encourage me to drink or anything.
They’d just rather me do stuff like
that at a place where they know

I’ll be safe and they can keep an
eye on me,” Samson said. “It’s
actually smart because I could be
doing worse things at some other
random place, and they wouldn’t
even know.”
Not only are teens getting
alcohol from their parents, but
they are also getting it from older
friends and or with fake ID’s
“[Teens] just have easy access these days. Everyone knows
someone who can get them alcohol. Everyone has connections
these days,” Samson said.
In addition to consuming beer,
teens are also using energy drinks
as mixers. Energy drinks mask
the taste of alcohol, causing teens
to consume more alcohol than
they can handle.
Senior Kiley Lyle said that
while teens do mix energy drinks
with alcohol, that is not the only
mixed drink they are drinking. A
lot of teens are drinking “jungle

juice” which is a mixture of hard
liquor such as vodka, rum, whiskey, and punch. Jungle juice is
the most common mixed drink
known among the party crowd,
Lyle said.
“People get ‘messed’ up from
[jungle juice,]” Lyle said. “Since
it’s hardcore liquor masked by the
fruity taste, kids just keep drinking and drinking and eventually
they just get out of control.”
Glencoe’s police representative, Officer Adele Rios, said this
generation of teens consumes alcohol more often than previous
generations have.
“Kids just know people who
can get them the alcohol, whether
that be friends, siblings, strangers, and even parents.”
She also said that house parties
have their peaking times throughout the year.
“Parties happen almost every
weekend, but a lot more happen

during summertime, graduation,
prom, and any school breaks,”
Rios said. “I’ve busted many
throughout the course of my career.”
With the power of social networking nowadays, many teens
spread the word about the party
by using Facebook, Twitter, and
text messaging. Once one person
texts another, the party situation
has the potential of getting out of
hand.
Another type of party that
teens attend is a rave. Raves are
a larger scale party compared to
house parties. They charge an entrance fee, are held in an indoor or
outdoor temporary location, and
drugs such as ecstasy are often
available. Techno music and dub
step are standard expectations
at raves, as are lighting effects,
strobes, glow sticks, lasers, fog
machines, and black lights.
Senior Scott Anderson* who

attends raves on a regular basis
said the security is low which
makes it easy for drugs to get
through. People at the rave will
partake in doing not only ecstasy,
but drugs of all sort like molly
acid, mushrooms, and mescaline.
“[Raves] usually last from
eight to five in the morning and
when you leave, you wish you
could stay there forever,” Anders
on said. “It’s basically like a night
club for druggies.”
While some say they attend
raves for the music, dancing, and
the atmosphere of peace and love,
make no mistake that drugs and
alcohol are part of the equation.

Disclaimer

This photo illustration does
not represent the activities of
newspaper, and the opinions
conveyed in the story do not
necessarily express the views of
the Crimson Times.

The government should increase funding for nutritious,
filling lunch options to improve student health
The problem of obesity in America is
a real one. Among children, the current
obesity rate in the United States is 17%
and growing. And, unfortunately, the
public school system might just be part of
the problem.
Glencoe kitchen manager Teresa
Dorondo said she does the best she can to
offer healthy meals. She controls the fruit
and vegetable purchases and makes an
effort to buy local, seasonal products. The
federal and state governments set up guidelines on required levels of fat, sodium, and
other nutrients in school food that must be
followed. Using these guidelines, most of
the food decisions come from Nutrition

Services, the administration at the district
that deals with school meals, and is in
charge of what meals are offered. Dorondo
also said the Hillsboro District goes beyond
the guidelines, and offers healthier options
compared to other districts.
“You can eat healthy if you choose
to,” Dornodo said. She cited the fact that
almost all the bread products are whole
grain, and are below the required fat and
sodium limits. These are all healthier than
other options.
While it is possible to eat healthy,
there are not enough options. The only
real healthy meal that is offered every
day in the cafeteria is the salad. But
salads alone are not enough to fill you
up. If the cafeteria could offer
something more filling, like
lean meat as an entree, that
would be a more viable
option. Most of the
meat
offered
is fried or
breaded,

which is unhealthy.
Much of the cafeteria’s menu is
influenced by the National School Lunch
Act, passed in 1946. It created a national
lunch plan that would allow low income
families access to free or reduced-priced
lunches, and the option to buy lunches for
all who did not qualify. The program was
designed to serve nutritional meals. While
this has happened to a degree, we need to do
more. When most of the meals the cafeteria
offers are things like pizza and hamburgers,
there will be problems. Money, of course,
is the problem. And it really is not the
district’s fault, and it would be
wrong to blame them.
I
believe the

government should increase funding for
the National Lunch Program. If they did,
school districts would have more money
and could purchase healthier options, such
as more fruits, vegetables, and lean meats.
About half of the $75 billion spent in 2003
on obesity, and obesity-related illness, was
paid by tax-payer dollars through Medicaid
and Medicare. This information was found
in a study done by The Obesity Society, a
non-profit organization created to educate
and research obesity as a disease.
By offering healthier options at schools,
the obesity rate would go down, which
would be followed with a decrease in the
money the tax payer must dish out for
obesity. This would cover the increased
spending for healthier food. And since
complications due to obesity kills on
average 280,000 U.S. adults annually,
according to the Obesity Research Center,
increasing general health is very important
to decrease loss of life.
Many experts consider obesity an
epidemic. I believe that offering healthier
lunches at schools is one of the steps the
nation can take to stop this epidemic
and would lead to a future in which
more Americans live healthy lives.

Online community redefines what it means to be a nerd

by TINA ANDERSON
I am a Nerdfighter and I am
proud. I go home every day after
school and watch videos made
by John and Hank Green, the
Vlogbrothers. Every person who
watches the Vlogbrothers is a
Nerdfighter. In the words of John
Green, “Anyone who wants to be
a Nerdfighter is a Nerdfighter.”
Nerdfighters are defined as
people made entirely of awesome.
A Nerdfighter is not someone who
fights nerds, but a nerd who fights
to decrease “world suck” and
increase “world awesome.”
One of the main ways we
decrease world suck is the Project
for Awesome, or P4A. P4A is an
event created to take over all of
YouTube with videos made by
Nerdfighters for their favorite
charities. This past December,
P4A raised $71,346.10 for five
charities chosen by Nerdfighters.
The money was split between the
charities evenly to decrease world
suck across the globe.
Nerdfighters also improve
world awesome through ways
less tangible. We do this by just
being nerds.

“I notice you’re a nerd’ is
like saying, ‘Hey, I notice that
you’d rather be intelligent than
be stupid, that you’d rather be
thoughtful than be vapid, that
you believe that there are things
that matter more than the arrest
record of Lindsay Lohan,” John
Green said in the video How
Nerdfighters Drop Insults.
John and Hank Green define
the videos as different from the
average viral video on YouTube.
The videos can be as humorous as
giraffe love and as serious as the
European dept crisis. All of the
videos made are entertaining and
informative, a combination not
normally found on YouTube.
The Vlogbrothers have four
channels on YouTube updated
weekly. The main channel,
Vlogbrothers, is updated twice
a week. These videos are vastly
entertaining and showcase the
many talents of the Vlogbrothers.
Hank Green is the founding
editor of one of the most popular
ecological websites, Ecogeek,
and a founder of DFTBA records,
a record label that only represents
YouTube artists. He is also a
Billboard recording artist who
has released four albums. Hank
has gone on tour several times
with his music on the Tour de
Nerdfighting, W00t Stock and
Nerds & Music.
“I went to the ‘Nerds and
Music’ convention. [It was an]
awesome bunch of very nerdy

comedians with musical talent.
I got my pants signed by Hank
Green,” junior Tessa Zagone said.
Zagone has considered herself
a Nerdfighter for two years and
follows the Vlogbrothers avidly.

“

[Nerdfighteria] fully
encompasses the humor of YouTube and
the current events of
the news.

”

John Green has also gone
on tour to promote his novels.

John Green is a New York Times
Bestselling author of “Looking
for Alaska” and “The Fault in Our
Stars”, which has been No. 1 for
the past six weeks. John Green
has written a total of five books
all of which have received many
prestigious awards. John Green’s
latest novel is “The Fault in Our
Stars,” a witty yet heartfelt novel
that illuminates the realities of
terminal childhood illness.
While Nerdfighteria is just
one community on YouTube,
I believe it is one of the best. It
fully encompasses the humor of
YouTube and the current events

of the news and the intelligence
and enthusiasm of being a nerd.
“I love being a nerd. Because
nerds like us are allowed to be
unironically enthusiastic about
stuff,” John Green said. “Nerds
are allowed to love stuff, like
jump-up-and-down-in-the-chaircan’t-control-yourself love it.
When people call people nerds,
mostly what they are saying is,
‘You like stuff’, which is just not
a good insult, like ‘You are too
enthusiastic about the miracle of
human consciousness.”

Rumor has it that a group of newspaper writers once challenged author Ernest Hemingway
to write a complete story in less than 10 words.
His six-word response has inspired an art form,
the six-word memoir, popularized by the website
SmithMag.net. Six-word memoirs are short and
sweet, which is part of the allure. It is up to the
reader to interpret what the author means by these
evocative statements.
submitted by STUDENTS IN CHARITY THOMPSON’S,
DENISE READY’S and BETH MORGAN’S ENGLISH CLASSES

by MAGGIE KLEIN
The humor of the 1973 Academy Award winner, “The Sting,”
turns this film into a must-see

for all generations. Paul Newman and Robert Redford (“Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”),
reprise their roles as partners in
crime, while adding sophistication and wit to this extraordinary
piece. This trend-setting film with
its clever characters and twisting
plotline introduced the actioncomedy genre, thus becoming
iconic in the world of film.
In “The Sting,” lowly street
grifter Jonny Hooker (Redford)
teams up with wanted conman
Henry Gondorff (Newman), to
take revenge on the gangster who
killed their mutual friend in cold
blood. Their plan is to set up one
of the greatest cons in history.
The astounding cinematography is just one aspect that makes

this film so great. The shots are
done in a mix of first- and thirdperson, giving viewers a sense of
being involved in the storyline
directly through the character’s
eyes, while still maintaining the
normal movie experience. The
charming characters constantly
deliver witty lines, which help
bring the movie to life by adding
humor and intelligence. Additionally, the traditional ‘30s music
and inventive “chapters” that provide transition to the scenes bring
a whimsical feel to the film.
This groundbreaking film
introduced new genre ideas to
filmmakers when it was released,
leading future producers to create
films with similar plots. Although
the plot might seem familiar to

viewers, they should not write off
the “The Sting,” because it is this
aspect that was so revolutionary
in the world of film. Also, a minor
flaw of the film is that the scenes
take longer to progress to other
events, unlike the fast-paced,
non-stop action of modern films.
However, audiences that have
enjoyed movies like “Ocean’s
Eleven” and “The Italian Job” are
sure to love “The Sting.”
Directed by George Roy Hill,
this classic adventure in the killor-get-killed world of Chicago,
was the winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The combination of great
filming and phenomenal acting
make “The Sting” a timeless hit.

‘Elephants’ offers captivating plot, compelling characters
by EMILY BARNES
A New York Times bestseller for two years running, Sara Gruen’s captivating novel Water for Elephants is now a major motion picture starring Reese
Witherspoon (Legally Blonde) and Robert Pattinson
(Twilight). Filled with intense emotions and unpredictable complications, this book holds the reader’s
attention.
The novel follows the journey of failed veterinarian Jacob Jankowski as he is caught up in the intrigue of a travelling circus. An element of danger
enters the storyline when Jankowski begins a forbidden romance with the wife of the circus’ schizo-

phrenic head animal trainer.
Life in a circus during the Great Depression is
filled with charms and hardships, which makes for
a lively, enthralling storyline. Just as compelling are
the characters, all of whom have unique quirks and
strong personalities, are fully-formed. They all have
mysterious qualities as well, which come from living outside of society. It is easy for the reader to see
through the eyes of these dynamic characters.
Though she is not widely recognized, Gruen
proves her capability to paint a vivid picture of daily
life in a circus and the tangled emotions of the people in it. The book will satisfy readers with a longing
for adventure and excitement.

by ELISE HAMPTON
In the interest of full disclosure, I am a whole-hearted fashion
enthusiast. I watch the runways.
I know the names of the designers. I believe that flat shoes are
for quitters. However, nail art is
something that, up until a little
while ago, I had ignored. Until a
little while ago, it had not seemed
worth paying attention to.
Now, it is one of the most striking parts of fashion. Whole websites and magazines have been
devoted to this art, and it is nearly
impossible to find a fashion-oriented website or magazine that
does not heavily feature images,
advice, and general adoration for
this talent.
Nail art has recently gone
through a sort of revolution. It
has grown from being an expected
part of a woman’s outfit to being
an exciting expression of a woman’s personality or mood. When
Zooey Deschanel, movie star and
lead actress in the show “New
Girl,” wore tuxedo polish to the
Golden Globes, she was making a
statement about her recent single
status- she said that they, the nails,
walked her down the red carpet
instead of a date. By saying it
with nail polish, she managed to
be both subtle and make national
news, a task that most celebrities
can only dream of.
To be fair, nail art can become
very difficult. It is one thing to
paint your nails one color, or layer
it with crackle polish. It is quite
another to create the masterpieces
that some celebrities can achieve,
like the intricate patterns and 3D
designs of Lady Gaga, Kreayshawn, or Rihanna. But well-kept,
stylish nail art can show others
that you are creative, patient,
and have good personal hygiene.
This is particularly important for
occasions when a handshake is
necessary, such as an interview
for college or a job.
Nail art, unlike apparel fashion,
does not have to be expensive.
You can get a bottle of polish for
less than $1. You can accomplish
it on your own in a short amount
of time. If you try fancier designs
and fail, you can remove it within
seconds. So, with all of that in
mind, why not try it?
Find more information at:
http://www.nailsmag.com/
http://www.nailartgallery.com/
http://hellogiggles.com/category/
series/nails-of-the-day

by ALYSSA GORE
Video games come and go, but
the memories they leave gamers
last forever. Recently, one memorable game has been remade for
its 10 year anniversary. “Halo:
Combat Evolved Anniversary”
brought back those memories of
the original game, which started
the game series, on November
15, 2011. The wonderfully remastered graphics and sound effects would make any fan of the
series proud. The original “Halo:
Combat Evolved” was released
in 2001 as a launch title for the
Xbox, selling over five million
copies worldwide, and starting a
new series that kept players coming back for more.
In the campaign, gamers play
as Spartan 117, known to the

gaming world as Master Chief,
the last of the Spartan 2 super soldiers. The Spartan’s purpose was
to help defend the human race
against the vast alien army, known
as the Covenant. An attempted
escape led the protagonist of the
game to the ring shaped world of
Halo, where gamers would then
play through a variety of environments as they work to find a way
to save humanity.
The blocky and simple graphics of 10 years ago immerged as
an amazing display of the advances in game development.
The added detail makes every
hallway, hillside, and forest pop,
creating beautiful new scenery
around the player. All of this is
highlighted by the fact that, in the
middle of a level, you can switch
to the older graphics, giving a side

by side comparison of the old and
the new and allowing players to
fully submerge themselves in the
classic gameplay.
Now that the Halo series has
been given to the game developers at 343 Industries, they wish to

Indie video games offer break
from traditional gaming fare

show fans that their beloved franchise is in good hands. By giving
such careful attention to the details of the game, they are showing that they care about the series
and realize how much it means
to gamers, hoping to put them at
ease for the next game: Halo 4.
Because this game’s campaign is
mostly to let hardcore fans relive
the memories of the game, additional multiplayer game modes,
and the ability for Xbox Live
gameplay, have been included to
make the game more appealing
for the rest of the Halo players.
The game itself is around $40,

Ochoa’s

Bring in this
coupon for $1
off any meal

Whether you are a hardcore or casual gamer, indie games continue to be one of the best
choices for a quick break. Offering a wide variety of unique ideas and innovations, they
provide an escape from many of the games made by large production developers. These
three games exhibit the many possibilities that are usually overlooked by the tried-andtested companies.

7 out of 10
Developer: Petri Purho
Genre: Puzzle, Casual

Going back to a simpler time
when all that was needed to let
the imagination wander was a
couple of crayons and a fresh
sheet of paper, “Crayon Physics
Deluxe” challenges players to
multitudes of puzzles. Using the
mouse to alter the playing field
by drawing paths and objects, the
player attempts to move a ball to
a goal by any means necessary.
It sounds easy at first, but as the
game progresses it challenges
player’s creativity to complete
each level. Featuring over 70 levels of increasing difficulty and a
level editor to create custom designs, “Crayon Physics Deluxe”
has a large re-playability value
for the gamer that enjoys puzzles.
There are dozens of ways to complete each level, and a large database of user-created levels is
available to download for free.
For the price of $19.99, Crayon
Physics Deluxe gets a 7 out of
10. The price is too high for what
is received, although it is recommended to anyone who enjoys
puzzle games.

so for gamers new to Halo, or
fans that would rather not pay
so much for an updated game,
it might be better to purchase
the original Combat Evolved for
closer to $15. Even though the
new version costs more, the game
looks incredible compared to
what it was before, and it would
be better to get the anniversary
edition because the updates bring
the older game into the present
day. It is well worth the time to
play through the levels that had
captured the fans the first time.

Super Tacos

by AVERY VIRTUE

Crayon
Physics
Deluxe

Page

(503) 844-7288
221 SE Baseline
Hillsboro, OR 97123
Expires: 05/01/12

Nightsky

8 out of 10

Developer: Nicalis

Genre: Platformer, Puzzle

After finding a mysterious sphere on the
coast, “Nightsky” transports the player to a
bizarre and unique landscape. Using the arrow keys to control the ball through a bizarre
and unique landscape, the player must solve
puzzles and use accurate timing to progress
through the levels. There is little to accompany
the player other than the silent ambience and
silhouettes of creatures and objects. Instead of feeling lifeless, it
enhances the experience and inspires a meditative-trance. The art
style is also very simplistic, using mainly color gradients for the
background and black for the level itself. New powers occasionally
appear to solve puzzles, and they feel innovative rather than filler.
The difficulty is on a very smooth learning curve and requires little
experience with games to pick up and play comfortably. There is
little re-playability other than completely restarting, but the gameplay and length of 11 chapters easily makes up for that. For $9.99,
NighSky gets an 8 out of 10.

Hammerfight
5 out of 10

Developer: Kranx Productions

Genre: Action

In Hammerfight, the player is a
member of a struggling tribe called
Gaiars. After being taken prisoner
and turned into a slave, the player is
forced into battling in an arena. Using weapons that swing freely and
are attached to small helicopters, the
player must progress through the arena and form an escape plan.
Battles in this game promise a large amount of strategy, such as
what weapons and type of helicopter to use. Combat is largely
dependent on centripetal force, inertia, and kinetic energy.
By using the mouse to control the helicopter, the player can
make attached weapons swing similarly to a mace. Although simple, the controls feel very rough and lack smoothness, making it
difficult to maneuver one’s helicopter.
Despite the many factors that encourage combinations, the system falls flat because one of the best strategies is to spin around
aimlessly and destroy anything before it presents a decent challenge. This takes a huge toll on the game, since the whole game
revolves around combat that becomes tedious and frustrating even
after a few matches. The story also feels unoriginal and lacks anything interesting to keep the player intrigued. For $9.99, “Hammerfight” gets a 5 out of 10.

Come and join the Speech and Debate team
next year for opportunities to learn how to
speak publicly, debate, and gain confidence!
Join the team and get a chance to give competitive speeches, win trophies, travel and join
a fun team of interesting individuals, and meet
a diverse group of students from other high
schools.

Furniture

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Winter sports wrap- up
Girls grab league championship
The girls varsity basketball team shares the Co-League Championship with the Tigard Tigers this
year. The two teams have won the same number of games, though Glencoe lost to Tigard in both games
they played.This is the first time in 16 years that the team has shared the League Championship title.
Going into the playoffs, the girls basketball team has a winning record of 11-2 overall. They creamed
the North Medford Black Tornados in the payoffs, bringing home a 77-33 victory.
Seniors: Kiley Lyle, Alyssa Davis, Kaylee Van Loo, Maggie Harlow, Hayley Landon, Tayler Feinauer,
Kayla Fleskes

Boys basketball stays strong
Though the season was tough, boys basketball stepped up its game by beating Hilhi in a home game
on Feb. 17.
“We got some payback. [The team] hung tough and stayed [positive],” said Coach Matt Schmidt.
Ranked seventh in league, boys basketball also beat rivals Forest Grove on Feb. 14, after losing to
them earlier in the season. The team lost to Roseburg in the playoffs on Feb. 25.
Seniors: Jimmy Gardner, Alex Johnson, Logan VanRoekel, Chad Smith, Kurtis Campbell, Tyler
Becker

Skiing sends two to
state for slalom events
Two members of Glencoe ski team qualified for state this
year, despite the serious disadvantage the six-member team
faces, racing against teams three times its size. Junior Denise
Bosak qualified for slalom and Junior Colton Viner qualified
for slalom and giant slalom.
In ski racing, the scoring system favors large teams like Jesuit and Southridge. To compensate, Head Coach Kevin Viner
said, the team is working on improving strength and consistency.
“In skiing you want to win the race, but you also want to
finish the race. [If you’re in good condition and] you do take a
spill, you won’t get hurt so bad,” he said.
Though it is harder for them to win races, Viner said there is
an upside to his team’s small size.
“You get pretty much one-on-one coaching all year round.”
There are no seniors on the team, so all racers make varsity
their first year.
Varsity members: Denise Bosak, Colton Viner, Erik McLaury,
Jaydn Clausen, Cayce Pitts, Drew Neuman

Frank places at state meet

Junior Taylor Frank captured seventh place in the 500 freestyle at state championships with a 5:17.86.
Frank also swam the 200 freestyle in the preliminary event.
Like in years past, swim team faced the challenge of small numbers, often competing against teams
twice its size. Despite this, the team saw several members make finals in various events at districts in
McMinnville. According to sophomore Jonathan Napier, the team hopes to send more people to state
for next year and improve their times.
Seniors: Andrew Rogers, Tommy Nuthmann, Kathryn Rasmussen, Melissa Mauk, Elias Losli

Nance takes fifth in state
Senior Chris Nance captured fifth place in his weight class at the state competition on Feb. 25.With
the youth of the team Coach Jason Harless was impressed by the wrestlers’ skill of the sport, but said
they could improve on their self confidence.
“[The team] can improve and build on their self confidence. It’s a mental game, and it takes to
come out on [the mat] and feel like you are at your best.”
This is the youngest team in the six years Harless has coached.
Seniors: Alex Alfaro, Michael Alvarez, John Atkinson, Matthew Coloma, Joe McNeilly, Alex Mendoza,
Brian Morales, Chris Nance, Josh Talty, T.J. Thrienen